Gold
by EliKenobi
Summary: A collection of stories mainly following Rey and her journey from student to teacher post Rise of Skywalker. Minimal Reylo and occasional Finnpoe. Mostly fluff (but if a plot develops I won't stop it).
1. Chapter 1: Closure

**_Closure_**

* * *

"Goodnight, Finn." Rey backed into her quarters on Ajan Kloss. The Resistance base was slowly shrinking as those who had survived packed up and returned to their various homes. She had defeated the Sith—she and Ben. There was no need for a Resistance. Not for now. And so those inhabiting the base were returning to their planets, working to fill those gaps in leadership that First Order had left. But Rey had no home to return to. Where would she go, Jakku? This base was the closest place she had to a home. Here, the Falcon, maybe Luke's island on Ahch-To. She had been to Tatooine, briefly, but she had hurried back only to find half the camp gone. This was her family now—Finn, Poe, Chewie—and she intended to stay with all of them as long as possible. She wasn't sure where the others had to go anyway. Finn didn't have any other family either. Maybe he would stay, but Rey was secretly worried that when Jannah and Lando returned, Finn would decide to join the band of Stormtrooper deserters in the Endor system. Maybe Rey could go too. Chewie would stay with the Falcon. And Poe, Poe would probably stay with Finn. Now, to keep them all together.

Rey latched the door and turned into her room.

"Ben!" She gasped, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. She didn't want the others to hear her through the makeshift walls. Ben stood up quickly from the bench by her bed.

"I'm sorry—I don't want to intrude—"

"Shh." Rey crossed the room in several strides to smooth back Ben's glowing blue hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her cheek against his chest. Although she could see through him, he felt nearly solid. Unexpected tears rushed down her cheeks.

"I—I was beginning to think you weren't coming," she murmured.

"I'm here," he said in his unmistakable deep, soft voice, gently holding the back of her head. "I didn't know if you were ready, or if you wanted…"

"Ben, I'm so sorry! I thought I could save you, I really did."

"Rey." He placed his hands on her shoulders, pushing her back so that he could look into her watery eyes. "You _did_ save me. I…I chose this."

"I know," she whispered, looking down. "But where were you this whole time?"

"It's hard to explain, how it feels, but we—I wasn't sure if—the way we parted, if it was how you would still feel. You needed time to process."

Rey sighed. "You're right. But Ben—" she stood tall on her tiptoes, took his face between her hands and kissed him. His lips felt soft, in a cool and fuzzy sort of way, and Rey was vaguely aware that she was kissing something that wasn't fully there. She didn't quite care. They broke away, and looking down, he smiled that brilliant smile that split through his harsh exterior like sunlight burning through fog.

"I can't believe you," he chuckled. "But you know…it's probably best if we don't consider this anything."

Rey laughed suddenly. "You're dead. I'm a Jedi. We aren't supposed to be here on so many levels."

Ben smiled. "I know. But Rey, I will be waiting for you. If you'll have me."

"I _will_ see you again?"

"Yes."

She leaned into him, and his arms around her made her feel small, in a relieving sort of way. For now, no one needed her. She could just be.

Ben swayed with her, back and forth, eyes closed, as if listening to music only he could hear.


	2. Chapter 2: Future

**_Future_**

* * *

Rey stepped out of the X-wing, into a field of grass still churning from the momentum of her landing. A little girl bounded toward her, arms outstretched in a pick-me-up gesture, fluffy pigtails flying in the breeze. She spoke often and well to strangers, but in the company of those who knew her she preferred to communicate quietly. Rey hoisted the girl, who wrapped her arms around Rey's neck gleefully. Finn, who had been a few paces behind, greeted Rey warmly and embraced her. The child squealed with delight to be in the midst of the hug, then squirmed to be put down when it broke apart. Rey set her on her feet, and she trotted off toward the X-wing.

"Leia, be careful with that!" Finn called. He turned back to Rey. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." She squeezed his hand. "I brought a gift for Leia." Rey unclipped something from her belt. Finn hadn't noticed it next to her saber. A smaller lightsaber, narrow enough to be grasped by little hands. Rey flicked the switch, revealing a thin green blade, about half the length of her own.

"Is that safe? Are you sure she's ready?" Finn asked. Rey tapped Finn's wrist with the blade. It stung slightly, but didn't leave a mark on his skin.

"It's a training saber," said Rey. "The weakest I could make it. She won't hurt anything with that."

* * *

At the girl's birth, Rey had been told she was important. _The future_, General Leia had said. It had been a long, stormy day, almost five years ago, and as Rey labored she began to feel Ben's hands stroking her hair. At first, she thought she was hallucinating, desperately seeking distraction from the pain, but as the feeling grew more solid and the hands migrated down her neck to massage her tired shoulders she had asked the doctor to leave her for a moment. And then Ben had shown up, standing behind her and murmuring encouragement and support. And with him was Leia.

"My first and only was hard too," Leia said, dabbing sweat off of Rey's brow. Her eyes crinkled at Ben. "You wouldn't believe the size of this boy's head!"

Rey tried not to laugh. Laughter hurt.

"This child is the future, Rey. Do not fail her as we failed Ben."

"Mom…" Ben looked up, but Leia continued.

"I know you will all give her so much love. The galaxy cannot afford another fall. You and Finn…she's sure to be strong."

"I know," Rey whispered. Her visitors vanished, though she thought she could still faintly feel Ben's hands on her shoulders, still just with her. Then Finn rushed in and knelt beside her, squeezing her hand. He had been followed by the doctor and Poe, who settled in a corner, not quite sure where to place his body or direct his eyes.

* * *

"No," Rey said, running her fingers over the little lightsaber's grip before handing it to Finn. "I don't think she's quite ready yet. She is still quite young. She should have it when she's a bit older. Let her play with it, but she _must_ understand that there is responsibility with a weapon, even weak as it is, as well."

"When do you want to start her training?" asked Finn.

"When she's old enough to choose it," Rey said. "I want her to want this, but if the path of the Jedi is not for her, we must let her have that choice."

"You're right," said Finn. Then, with a teasing smirk, "what about my choice? When are you gonna find time to keep training me?"

Rey raised her eyebrows and bit her lip, suppressing a smile of her own. "Shall we spar?"

"Let me just pass off Leia," said Finn, detaching her from the X-wing's windshield. "Poe?! It's your turn!"

"Daddy!" Leia squealed as Poe trotted up the hill from the house below and swung the girl up onto his shoulders.

"Here," Rey said, unlocking the X-wing's door. "Why don't you show her the inside of the ship?"

"Can I take it up?"

"Don't push your luck." Rey smiled.

She and Finn strode down the hill to pick up Finn's training blade then set up in the woods behind the house. They had slowly been assembling a crude training course, similar to the one General Leia and Rey had used on Ajan Kloss. Little Leia loved it—she had no way of knowing it was anything other than her own personal jungle gym.

Rey and Finn clashed blades back and forth through the forest. These training sabers were full sized and stronger than the one Rey had brought for Leia; they left small burns where they connected with flesh. Rey found that she was still more proficient than Finn, but it felt good to practice her skill against another person for once. Although she performed lightsaber exercises daily, there was certainly a shortage of saber wielders in the galaxy right now, and Rey worried she was getting rusty. But soon the two broke, and sat together on a log, both breathing heavily.

"You're distracted," Rey said, looking at the fading burns up and down Finn's forearms. She could sense the energy of his mind as somehow less concise than usual.

"When are you going to tell Leia? You know…that you're her…mother."

"Am I her mother?" Rey asked. "It's not I who's raised her. I carried her only because you and Poe wanted a child."

"It just seems like not knowing who they're descended from is always coming back to bite people."

"What," Rey turned to Finn, her eyes teasing. "You think I may turn to the Dark Side yet?"

"That's not what I—"

"I will tell her. Someday. Perhaps when she is old enough to understand the weight of her bloodline. And old enough to know that Poe is still her father."

"I suppose you of all people would know," Finn said. "Family's in the heart."

"It is. And for now, I'll just keep being Auntie Rey."


	3. Chapter 3: Texture (Part I)

**_Texture (Part I)_**

* * *

Finn and Poe sat side by side on a bench in their little home. Between them, sitting on the floor with her legs in a disorganized tangle, was their daughter Leia, now seven years old.

"Alright," said Poe, parting Leia's freshly washed hair down the middle. "Just follow along. Do exactly what I do but on your side."

"Okay…" Finn resigned to his fate.

"So you pick up three strands here, right? There you go. Then the middle strand goes over this one—no, the middle, yeah. Now you pick up a new strand from here and add it to the outer strand—Finn the middle goes on top!"

On the floor, Leia fidgeted, running her fingers over BB-8's raised buttons and lights. The droid had rolled over as soon as the braiding lesson had begun to get heated.

"I know I know it's just so complicated!" Finn exclaimed.

"You can fix the Falcon but not your daughter's hair? It's not even that different from your own hair!"

"Well I wouldn't know, since mine's been kept at regulation length practically my whole life!"

"Fine!" Poe threw up his hands in exasperation. "Tragic backstory beats basic incompetence." Both of Leia's braids had already sprung back to their natural position.

_Bug,_ the girl signed.

"Bug?" asked Finn.

_Want bug._

"You can go catch the bugs when your hair's up."

"Papa does ugly hair," Leia said aloud.

"See?" Finn raised an eyebrow at Poe.

"Fine, _fine_, I'll do it." Leia leaned against Poe's legs as he deftly wove her silky hair into two braids and coiled them into buns.

"How's it looking?" Finn pulled a mirror over.

_Pretty,_ Leia signed.

"Good. Let's go catch some bugs."

"You're not getting off that easy next time," Poe called.

As Finn and Leia stepped out the door, the girl signed up at him, _why does Daddy always make my hair like this?_

"General Leia Organa, your namesake?"

_Yeah?_

"She used to wear her hair like that when she was young. I think Daddy thinks it's funny."

"Leia," Finn said as they stepped out into the grass, "I think it's time for you to have this. Rey made it for you a long time ago. She wanted me to give it to you when you were old enough." Finn drew out the handle of the little lightsaber Rey had given him and handed it to Leia. She immediately ignited the blade and stared at it, her eyes glowing with the green reflection, but also lit from within.

_Wow._

"You like it?"

_Beautiful…Can I be like Auntie Rey now?_

Finn chuckled. "You've got a long way to go. But I can tell Rey you'd like some lessons, if you want."

_Yay!_

"Leia, I have to show you one thing first, okay?"

_Yes?_

Finn took the blade from her. "Here, touch it—gently, okay?"

Leia brushed the edge of the green glow with her finger. "Ow!" she yelped, jerking her hand back. _Why?_

Finn took Leia's hand, unfurling her fingers to show that they were, in fact, fine. The pain had been momentary, only lasting as long as her contact with the saber. "I wouldn't have let you touch it if it could have burned you," Finn said, flicking off the blade and handing it back to his daughter. "But I want you to understand that no matter how small, this is still a weapon. Play around with it, but you have a responsibility not to hurt others."

_I understand, Papa._


	4. Chapter 4: Texture (Part II)

**_Texture (Part II)_**

* * *

Rey had been excited when Finn told her that Leia had chosen to train as a Jedi. And yet, the idea scared Rey more than anything in her life. So she would start tentatively. She wouldn't begin training the girl in earnest for several more years, but some preliminary lessons couldn't hurt, right? In truth, she was doing this for the same reason she had made the training saber when Leia was far too young to wield it. She wanted Leia to _want_ to be a Jedi. She knew the girl was capable of great things, and that was exactly what scared her. She knew what she had seen, that night on Ach-To—Ben had been conflicted and Luke had effectively made the choice for Ben, turning him to the Dark Side. Rey knew the choices of the master could influence the apprentice in ways she couldn't predict. So she would give Leia as many of her own choices as she could. Rey breathed in and exhaled her fear. It was always best to start with a clear head. Still, she held onto the weight of her responsibility somewhere in the back of her chest. She opened her eyes and rose in a fluid motion from the floor where she had been sitting cross legged. She slipped through the door and out of the guest room—at this point, it was basically her room—of Finn and Poe's cabin.

Finn pulled up a chair for Rey and set a plate of greenish bread and hard cheese in front of her. Leia was already eating, and Poe wrapped up his food as he headed out the door. Finn caught Poe's arm and kissed his cheek before he swung out the door for his job as a mechanic in town.

The bread reminded Rey a bit too much of her portions on Jakku, but she swallowed her revulsion and took a took a bite. Finn's baking, she knew, was much better than the tough, rehydrated loaves she used to live on.

As soon as Leia was done eating she bounced out of her chair. _Let's go!_

Rey abandoned the last bites of her breakfast and gave in to the child tugging at her tunic. The two walked out back to a nearby clearing Rey and Finn often practiced in.

_Will you teach me how to use this?_ Leia presented her precious lightsaber.

_Someday,_ Rey signed back, smiling. _But first you must start where all Jedi do_—_learning the ways of the Force. Afterall, that is what defines a Jedi, not a laser sword. We are those who use the Force in defense of good and balance. _

Leia nodded. _I'm ready. _

_Okay. Sit like this. _Rey sat down facing Leia, her legs crossed, and placed her hands on her knees in demonstration. _Now close your eyes._ Rey spoke softly. She knew auditory sensitivity contributed to the girl's struggle with verbal speech. "Try to clear your mind. Any thoughts or feelings that come up—just let them go. Don't follow them."

Leia sat impossibly still. Rey could barely tell she was still breathing. After several minutes, Leia's shoulders slumped and she let her hands fall to the forest floor. _I can't do it._

_Try again,_ signed Rey. _You weren't supposed to get it on your first try. It took me many._

Leia closed her eyes again and sat extra still with renewed purpose. A few minutes later she sighed and opened them again.

_Good try. _Rey got up and moved a few paces away to sit on a fallen log. Perhaps she was unintentionally putting pressure on her trainee with her closeness. _Keep trying, Leia. Your attempt doesn't fail until you end it._

Leia closed her eyes again, but her hands began to wander to the pebbles of the forest floor, to the hem of her vest, to her training saber, until she was flipping the switch in time with her breathing, turning the blade on and off, on and off.

"Try to keep still, Leia," Rey said just as Leia ignited her blade a little too close to her free hand and yelped at the zap.

"Uuuuggh." Leia flopped forward, hugging her knees.

_It's okay if you're not ready._ Rey sat down next to the girl. Perhaps seven year olds simply didn't have the patience for meditation. Rey had been surprised that Leia seemed so earnest in her pursuit of training from such a young age. _I didn't begin training until I was much older than you. There is no wrong age._

_I am ready._

_Okay, try again. _Rey could feel frustration bubbling up inside her. Evidently, Leia wasn't the only one who needed meditation practice. Was she doing something wrong? She tried to have patience, remembering all the attempts it had taken her to master anything. But Leia seemed exceptionally bad at meditating. Rey closed her eyes, and acknowledged her frustration. With purpose and intent she cleared it from her mind, just as Leia groaned and flopped over a second time. _What's wrong?_

_I feel too many things!_ Leia signed.

Rey furrowed her brows. _What do you feel?_

_My socks are itchy. My pants are too wrinkly. The worms are chewing too loudly. The trees are shouting. The ground is too prickly._

_The…worms…are chewing too loudly? _Rey signed, worried she had misinterpreted what Leia had said.

_They eat dirt. _

_And you can hear them?_

_I can feel them._ Leia pointed at the soil. _It feels…loud. _

_And the trees? What are they saying?_

_I don't know! They are up there_—she pointed to the canopy—_but also down here. _She patted the ground. _The shouting is here. _

_Leia, I think you might be sensing the Force. It surrounds and binds all living things_—_the trees, the worms, you and me. _Rey had been planning on working toward a lesson in feeling the Force with Leia, the same way Luke had once guided her through it. But it seemed like Leia had reached that point without Rey's instruction. Had Rey underestimated her—given her a task that wasn't challenging enough? But simple meditation was a cornerstone in Jedi practice; it wasn't a lesson Rey could skip. She sensed that the girl had been close when she was fiddling with her lightsaber, but then she had hurt herself. No, the saber wouldn't do. Yet as the two walked back toward the house, an idea started forming in Rey's mind.

"Finn," she said opening the door, "I need someone who's good with their hands."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks for the faves and follows! My winter term just started so chances are chapter postings will slow down, but the story isn't over!


	5. Chapter 5: Texture (Part III)

**_Texture (Part III)_**

Rey had known something was different about Leia since she had started talking less and less, around age four. Within the year Rey had taught the family to sign, and she remembered Poe and Finn's joy when their daughter began communicating again. As a scavenger, Rey had learned a form of sign language used by some of the natives of Jakku. She had been taught by a fellow scavenger, who was…what she suspected Leia was too. There were a number of words for them on Jakku, none of them particularly kind. There had been several scavengers who had Leia's seeming hypersensitivity, abandoned by their families who realized they were never going to be "normal." Some did speak out loud. Others preferred sign language. Rey remembered asking the boy who had taught her why he talked with his hands…what had he said? _Speaking is hard. And it gives my hands something to do._ He had been by far the cleanest of the little group of scavengers—while Rey, as a child, had often found it pointless to scrub dirt off her skin just so it could collect again tomorrow, the boy had hated the feeling of gritty clothes. _It's like when you get sand in your mouth. But all over you._ That sounded sort of similar to what Leia had said during the lesson…and a number of times before. Rey tried to remember the boy's name, but scavengers had been nameless on Jakku. She wondered if she should be doing something for the other scavengers. That definitely wasn't an easy way to live. What could she do, bully the traders into paying high prices for found goods?

Focus on Leia, she told herself. Worry about scavengers later. The boy had also disliked being touched, but Leia loved hugs. Well. Not all people were the same, Rey knew that much. In the end, she guessed, it wouldn't matter if Leia was different like her old friends on Jakku or different in her own way. What mattered now was teaching her to work with her differences. And Rey hardly knew where to start.

* * *

The grass on the hill whipped in the wind as the Millenium Falcon descended next to Rey's X-wing. The ramp lowered and the Falcon's crew—currently Chewbacca, Rose, C3PO, and R2D2—emerged joyfully.

"It's been too long!" Rose flew into Finn's arms and he spun her around, both laughing. Poe hugged Chewie stiffly, smiling but keeping his eyes on Finn and Rose. Rey had seen that look before. He wasn't quite jealous, but rather wary. The outwardly confident fighter pilot would never admit it, Rey knew, but the fact that everyone loved his husband made him a little uncomfortable.

Finn, of course, was oblivious, greeting old friends and reminding Leia that these were all people she knew, even if she hadn't seen them in a while.

"Master Leia! You are so much taller than the last time I saw you," C3PO exclaimed.

Chewie growled softly and ruffled Rey's hair. BB-8 whirred in circles around R2D2, both droids beeping rapidly.

Rose and Rey broke away from the group and started down the hill, side by side.

"So Leia needs something for her hands to do while she meditates?" Rose confirmed.

"Yes," said Rey. "I think it will improve her focus."

Rose drew a few loose leaves of paper out of her pocket and unfolded them. "I made some rough sketches, R2 has a 3D model saved."

Rey looked over Rose's drawings. They looked like a small ovular tablet, with surfaces to keep small hands busy. "I think she'd like the ridges here," Rey said. "The switch of her lightsaber seemed good too. The issue was that it, well, turned on her lightsaber."

"We could add something on this side she could flip." Rose stopped walking to sketch out tracks for a sliding switch.

"That looks nice! Let's go ask Leia what she thinks."

Both women turned toward the hill in time to see the Falcon lift off.

"Poe must have convinced Chewie to let him take it for a joyride," Rose sighed.

"That man wants to fly so badly," Rey agreed. "He's got his own ship, just no excuse to fly it. It's always 'welcome back Rey can I fly your X-wing yet?'" She mimicked Poe's voice.

Rose laughed. "It looks like he took Leia and Finn too. I bet Leia's having the time of her life."

"I bet she is." The two sat down in the grass to wait for the Falcon's return.

* * *

Rose, Rey, Poe, and R2 were crowded into Poe's mechanic shop next to a ship he'd been repairing.

"This is the final design?" Poe asked, looking at a slowly rotating design R2 was projecting.

Rose nodded.

"Leia seemed to like it," Rey added.

"Okay." Poe plugged the droid into one of his machines. Its laser chisel began carving the rectangle of rock set below its arm, and Poe, Rose, and Rey crowded around to watch. When it was finished, Rose polished the tablet until it was smooth and fitted a metal slider into the grooves she had designed for it. All that was left to do was give it to Leia.

Back in the woods clearing, Rey handed Leia the tablet that she had worked on with Poe and Rose.

_It's pretty_, Leia signed.

Rey agreed; Rose had more artistic talent than she, Finn, and Poe combined. The tablet was carved from a green stone into a rounded oval shape. The bottom curved in, with small ridges for little fingers to follow. On top, curved outwards, was the slider Rey and Rose had added. Beneath it were two raised words, only one visible at a time. Balance and Focus. Leia flicked the switch back and forth, revealing one then the other.

_Try meditating with it._

_Yes!_ Leia sat cross-legged and closed her eyes, her fingers flicking rhythmically over the stone. Rey watched her for a minute before sinking to the ground and reaching out to the Force around her. She sensed bugs in the soil below her and the trees around her on all sides. Across the clearing, she felt Leia, her mind clear, and—in this state, Rey could see that Leia was deeply connected to the Force. Rey knew that few could rival her when it came to sheer power with the Force, but the connection Leia had was something else. A constant source of sensory input, as if even untrained, sensing the life around her was already natural for her. Rey felt that Leia's power wouldn't come from object manipulation but the knowledge that the force gave her. She would uncover secrets left unexplored by the Jedi before her. Rey felt Leia slip back into normal thought and opened her eyes in time to see Leia say, _will you teach me how to do that?_

Rey smiled, lowering herself from where she had been floating, several feet off the ground. _In time._

* * *

**Author's Note:** Heads up for you Reylos—Ben will be returning in the next arc and will be more of a focus than in Leia's arc. One more (short) chapter left before we get there!

Feedback is always appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6: Secure

**_Secure_**

* * *

It was a warm night and the sky was bright with reflected solar light. Still, it was dark under the trees. Rey reached out with the Force, trying to sense root tangles and wide trunks before she tripped or walked into them. Somewhere behind her, Finn and Poe's cabin glowed mildly and beyond that the tent they had set up for Falcon's crew still chattered with liveliness. Rey let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Although she loved her friends and had been happy to catch up with Rose and Chewie, it was good to get away from the chaos. She had never quite gotten used to having so many people around, not even in her days of living in Resistance camps. Maybe she could talk to Ben. Rey wasn't sure if she wanted that. It had been quite a while. But ugh, _another_ person. Rey sat down and leaned against a particularly large tree trunk. The night was still young. She didn't have to choose now.

Footsteps crunched towards Rey. She froze. She hadn't told anyone she was out here. She had specifically waited until Finn and Poe were in bed, or so she thought.

"Are you sure this is okay?" It was Finn's voice. "What if Leia gets up?"

What?

"She'll be fine. Rey's in the house." Oops. Poe definitely thought he was alone with Finn. Rey figured she should get out of there, now. The footsteps stopped on the opposite side of the tree trunk and Poe continued. "We need to talk. About Rose. And Rey."

Rey held her breath. Now she couldn't move—there was no way she could get up without them noticing her. What would she say? Yes, hello Generals Dameron, I can now see that you did not, in fact, slip away from your daughter whom you assumed I was watching to fool around in the woods but rather to have an intense and private conversation about me. No, she would have to stay hidden until they left. Maybe they would keep walking.

"What _about _Rose and Rey?" Finn's voice retaliated.

Rey slowly lifted herself using the Force until she reached a sturdy branch and set herself down in the tree. Could she reach the next one without being noticed? Levitation this high off the ground was taxing. She was pretty sure the past Jedi wouldn't condone this use of the Force. But then, chances were they wouldn't condone her listening in on this conversation either. She should have left as soon as she heard someone approaching.

"Oh come on," Poe said. "You're so _friendly_ with both of them."

"Yeah, they're my friends. Ugh, is this about that time Rose kissed me _eight years ago?_"

Rey was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to know about that.

"Well, yeah—no, and Rey? You literally had a kid with her!"

"Don't bring Leia into this, Poe. Rey _gave us _a child. You know she's yours as much as mine."

Someone sighed.

"You're right. Not a day goes by that I'm not grateful for that. But it just feels like you're so much more in her life than I am."

"You know, Leia's getting more independent and she's spending some time training with Rey anyway. You should cut your hours back. I'll pick up a job in town to make up for it."

"Yeah," Poe said, and Rey could hear the smile in his voice, "yeah. Look at us. Resistance generals. This generation's heroes. We could have anything we want. And here we are."

"Would you really want anything different though?"

"Actually, yes. I want _you_."

"Poe! You _have_ me."

"Do I? You're always hanging out with these wonderful beautiful women and you're affectionate and I…"

In the tree, Rey raised her eyebrows. She wasn't used to being called beautiful.

"Why would I leave you for a woman?"

"Uh, because? Rey's like super powerful and hot and Rose is really cute."

Yep, Rey was definitely not supposed to be hearing this.

"Are _you _the one _I_ should be worried about?" Finn's voice was mostly teasing. "Because I don't feel any of that."

"Wait, you—you don't? Are you not attracted to _any_ women?"

Rey covered her face with her hands. Oh you idiots. You absolute disasters. You've been married for how many years without having this conversation? She tried to stifle her loud thoughts before Finn sensed them, but he was too distracted to notice.

"No? And I'm not planning on leaving you for a man either."

"Oh, I…just kind of assumed you were into both, like me."

"Well I'm not," said Finn, "and even if I was, you have me."

"I have you," Poe agreed.

Leaves and fabric rustled and in Rey's Force-sense, the two men's energies were close enough against the tree trunk that she could hardly distinguish them. Rey took off her shoes and lowered herself from the branches. She padded softly across the clearing. Ben could wait. She could escape back to her room. The generals were distracted.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I finally got around to drawing an actual cover image for the story instead of the old sketch I was using, so heads up on that changing.

Also, I'm starting a second Star Wars fic if anyone's interested. It's called Binary Sunrise and it has a lot more Reylo and a _lot_ more drama. Check it out! s/13477594/1/Binary-Sunrise


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